Day 8 Route 66, Bearizona and The Grand Canyon

Day 8 meant an early start from our wigwam home in Holbrook, a night of listening to the soulful whistles of the trains on the Santa Fe line competing with the tweets and whistles of the dawn chorus from the local birds made for an interesting alarm call.

Fred in his wigwam bed.

Up and on the Mother road by 7am to make a 9.30 train departure in Williams, AZ 120 odd miles away with a quick stop off in Winslow, AZ for a photo pose.

Fred takin' it easy, standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona..... thanks to The Eagles Winslow has a claim to fame, a statue and a reason for us tourists to stop by.

Onward we drove on 66 for our morning departure on The Grand Canyon Railway. Leaving Sara at the ticket booth to buy our tickets meant we had upper class, luxury seats in the observation dome. Fantastic views for the two and a half hour journey to the South Rim.

One word describes this place.

Awesome.

A trek down the canyon on the blue angel trail was a great way to get some kind of perspective on the sheer size of this place. My view from the backpack was pretty cool too. After a 90 minute trek down and then up again we were ready for some lunch before our train ride back to Williams.

Even our luxury observation coach had a cool name.

Happy Travelers.

Fred, Champagne and our waitress for the day, Mimi.

After a brilliant day visiting the Canyon just a 5 minute drive to our bed for the night, another traditional motel on 66. Comfortable, clean and hopefully a little quieter.

Look out Vegas, Fred is coming.

Wigwam thankyou M'am.

Day 7 Route 66, Holbrook,AZ

So we've left New Mexico behind us and moved down from the high plains into the dry dust bowl that is Arizona. A couple of stop offs along the way for some more Fred posing.

Aurelias Diner in Gallup was going to be our breakfast stop today having had it recommended by one of my twitter friends, unfortunately the diner is closed on sundays.

Next stop was at Continental Divide, a little bit of Altitude headache here (7275 ft) but a good landmark point to stop, from here water flows east to the Atlantic and west to the Pacific. A watershed moment for our trip.

Into Arizona and a diversion off to the painted desert and the petrified forest made for an interesting drive, it felt like driving on another planet. The wind blowing here was the strongest we've ever felt anywhere.

Fred holding on for bear life in the crazy Arizona wind.

Finally arrived this evening in Holbrook for a night of camping in a wigwam, OK so its a concrete wigwam with heater, tv, bathroom and shower, but its still a wigwam.

Lots of classic vintage cars and trucks parked around the place, thats our wigwam behind me.

Sat in the lounge area of the lobby blogging now, log fire roaring, margarita going down nicely. Night y'all.

Happy Mothers Day from the Mother Road

                             To my two favourite mummys on Mothering Sunday.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Day 6 on the Mother Road.

Only an hours drive today from Albuquerque, some beautiful mountain views along the way

So we've arrived in Santa Fe and there is really only one subject to talk about.
Coming from Weymouth, our experience of altitude is driving up Wyke Road.

High Altitude can have strange effects on bears and humans. Santa Fe is 7000 odd feet above sea level and we can all really feel the difference. After the first couple of hours here we are all suffering from headaches, shortness of breath, lack of energy and lack of appetite. This is all normal according the welcome pack at our lovely little adobe cottage, complete with wood fireplace. Los Palomas Hotel is set out over a single story spread over a couple of blocks.

                    Our home in the High mountains of New Mexico for tonight.

                                 A couple of pics from the Plaza area of Santa Fe

So although none of us feel brilliant at the moment we took a stroll into town and took a look at some of the fascinating architecture, Native American Arts and Boutique Shops before heading back to our little Pueblo for a lie down.
Hopefully we can all adjust to the lack of oxygen up here quickly and enjoy an evening out and about in town later.

Hot Dog, Jumpin' Frog, Albequerque

Route 66 Day 5, Amarillo to Alberqueque 8700 miles across a barren desert.

Leaving Amarillo, Texas on Route 66 we quickly came across the Midway point of our journey in Adrian, TX. Unfortunately the cafe was closed til next week so I did a bit of posing for the camera and we headed off into the deserts of New Mexico.

Fred is halfway to California.

From this point on the journey was pretty deserty

Tree

Desert

Tree

Desert

Desert

Train

Desert

Tree

Desert

Desert

Mountains

Alberqueque

Our hotel for the night was chosen by Sara and is therefore alot nicer than the Motels we've lodged at over the last few nights. The most pretigious hotel in Alberqueque, the Hotel Andaluz was once a Hilton Hotel and was where Zsa Zsa Gabor married Mr Hilton in the 1940s.

Fred is getting used to huge beds

Views across the city towards the mountains. Pretty awesome.

Howdy Y'all, That was the way to Amarillo

Just call me Fred.....Big Fred.

Texas is Big, real Big. Even the journey here from Oklahoma was enormous. Just one quick lunch stop on the way at Pops' in Arcadia, OK, an amazing place that sells hundreds of different flavours of soda. We chose good ol' Round Barn Root Beer, and some good pop it was too.

Fred ouside Pops, that one big soda bottle.

Lunch stop done it was on towards Texas.

When the SatNav said ' stay on this road for the next 250 miles' we knew it was gonna be a tough drive so I settled down, watched Ol' Okey disappear in the rearview mirror and the huge skies of Texas unfold before us.

Arriving in Amarillo it felt great to chill out in the Big Texan Hotel before I get stuck into the steak dinner that I know is waiting for me just next door.

A jacuzzi bath and a fresh set of duds and I'm the rootingest tootingest bear in these parts.

Yeeehah, lets go eat some meat.

And drink some Big Texan beer

And then go sleep it all off. Night y'all.

OOOOk-lahoma where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day.

Thanks to all at the Desert Hills Motel for an authentic 66 motel experience, no frills, just a warm dry place to lay our weary heads.

A bit chilly first thing but with highs of 29 and a chance a thunder storms later we are all set for another days' adventuring on Route 66.
First things first though, refuelling at Tallys' Diner
Bears need a good breakfast otherwise I'm like a human with a sore head.

Then Its off on the road through OOOOk-lahoma City, across the praire towards Texas, a 367 mile hop towards Amarillo.

3 states in one day. Day 3 on Route 66

Day 3 on Route 66 Lebanon, MO to Tulsa OK 263 miles

A restful night at The Munger Moss Motel, thanks to Ramona and her hospitality

Another great day on the Mother Road, Americas' Mid-West is full of friendly happy people who all seem to enjoy a bit of bear lovin'. After another fantastic breakfast at the Elm Street Eatery in Lebanon my taxi driving buddies and me set off West deep into Missouri. In Paris Springs we had the pleasure of spending some time with Gary Turner at the Gay Parita Filling Station. Gary has lived on '66 a long time and had some wonderful stories to tell. His place is crammed full of route 66 stuff which he was happy to show us. Guarding over his garage full of treasures was Earle.Earle and me got on like a house on fire.

                             Earle and Fred in the Gay Parita garage of treasure.

Gary, Sara and Fred getting friendly in Garys' office

Andy and Sara posing for Garys' website gallery

Fleetline Taxis - Part of the Missouri scenery

Fred is part of the Mother Road

We spent 45 minutes chatting with Gary, he was a fascinating guy and we loved being with him.

Further along the road Route 66 dips into Kansas for a 14 mile stretch through Galena and Baxter Springs. Here we met Melba the Mouth and Lyle. Both are characters of the Mother Road and both made us all very welcome. Melbas' Diner in Galena has a very special truck parked out front, the whole area inspired a certain animated film.

Fred and Tow- Mator getting acquainted.

Oklahoma was our 3rd state of the day and our first rain storm of the trip. Sara kept a weather eye out for twisters but no such luck. The drive-thru sign outside Carthage stayed rooted down. 

Long straight roads running for 10's of miles led us all the way into Tulsa and our stopover at the Desert Hills Motel. We are sat in Tallys' Cafe, Tulsa eating and blogging. Great food. Early night for us all. Texas tomorrow.

Is this the way to Amarillo? I certainly hope so.

Day 2 on the Mother Road

Day 2 on route 66, Springfield IL to Lebanon MO, 233 miles.

Woke this morning in Springfield IL to another covering of snow, unlike the UK though, life goes on even with a couple of inches of snow, by the time we'd chomped our way through another huge breakfast of eggs, biscuits, ( a sort of muffin/crumpet),bacon, sausage gravy and bucket loads of coffee, the roads were cleared and we were able to set off. The old 66 follows alongside the interstate for a fair way along this stretch only veering away briefly to visit quaint little farming towns along the way. Diners, gift shops and other roadside distractions try to make you pull over and part with a few dollars.

Am I shrinking or is furniture getting bigger?

Not far out of Springfield we stumbled across a classic cars sales place, several huge barns were filled with every type of classic American car you could think off.     Model T's, studebakers, cadilacs, lincolns. All for sale, all rust free. 100s and 100s of fantasticly stunning cars. 

The long straight roads of Illinios made way for trees, hills and rivers as we made our way into Missouri. The majestic Mississippi River provides the state border and a visit to the now obsolete Chain of Rocks bridge across the river is a Route 66 must-see.

Mississippi Fred

Night 2 sees us resting at the Munger Moss Motel, Lebanon MO. A proper 1940s route 66 motel, run by Ramona and Fred. Cosy rooms and a parking bay for the car right outside.

Tomorrow Oklahoma,  Tulsa to be precise. And we're only 24 hours away. I think I know a song about that.

Chillin out in Springfield after day 1 on route 66

Freds' Best Bear Bits Day 1 on Route 66

Chicago to Springfield IL.

Setting off from Adams Street in Downtown Chicago, 2300 miles to go.

A huge breakfast at Lou Mtichells' Diner set me up for the day.

Am I a time travelling bear? Is this the 1930's? 

A deserted gas station outside Dwight IL. The shop and workshop were full of authentic items from the time.

Small bear complex. Am I a tiny bear or is he a massive man carrying a space rocket?Fred meeting the Gemini Giant muffler man outside The Launch Pad Diner, Wilmington IL.

 The Route 66 Hotel and Conference Centre, Springfield IL is our first nights' stopover. A route 66 museum, bar and diner kept us in the mood for more Mother Road experiences on day 2. Goodbye Illinois, hello Missouri. The journey isnt about the destination, its about the direction. Go West young bear.

Day 1, Route 66, Pontiac, IL.

Lunchtime at the Old Log Cabin, Pontiac IL.
Great food, great people and great coffee.

Fred has been right up the Willis

102 Floors above downtown Chicago, the Willis Tower (Sears Tower to you and me) we saw some pretty impressive snowy views across Illinois.

Time for a coffee and cinnamon muffin in The Corner Bakery (free wi-fi) before we head off to Midway Airport on the 'L' train to pick up our car.

Sweet home Chicago

Saturday in Chicago was a fantastic day. Starting with a trolley bus ride round the city. An open top bus in freezing weather was challenging but to be honest after a week of similar conditions the three of us are getting used to it now.
Chicago is a beautiful city, lots of open spaces, great architecture and hundreds of eateries.
Our evening entertainment was provided by Blue Man Group, what a brilliant show!
If ever you get the chance to see them, GO. You wont regret it.
Later we headed to the world famous Buddy Guys' Legends Club for some proper Chicago Blues. Nora Jean Wallace was headlining, ( No, we'd not heard of her either) but my word she could knock out a tune. Think of Arethea in the Blues Brothers and you wont be far of it. A perfect way to end a perfect day in the Windy City.
Fred loves the Blues.

Just finished our breakfast, Skydeck at the Willis Tower this morning then picking up our car this afternoon ready to start our Route 66 adventure tomorrow.
At least we've found the starting point.

See you on the Mother Road soon.

Fred sings the blues

Woke up this mornin', da da da da da
Pulled back the curtains da da da da da
Looked out my window, da da da da da
This is what I saw,

Im singin' the Chicago blues but the cities turned white.
Freds' not a polar, im a regular bear,
Aint used to no snowfall,
Got no boots to wear,
Oh, Freds' singin' the Chicago blues.

So, this has happened.
Not part of our plans for today but we'll go with it.

Fred is in the Windy City

Hello Chicago.
After a close call catching our flight from JFK last night we finally arrived in Chicago Town. Friday night traffic out of Manhatten meant we made our flight with 10 minutes to spare.
The Congress Plaza Hotel is trying to charge 10 bucks a day to use their wi-fi. Fred doesnt pay to blog, so we're all sat in the diner next door where the waitress was happy to provide the password for theirs. Happy connected Bear.
Other than wi-fi issues the hotel is very grand. Large rooms and a bed big enough for a dozen friendly bears.

Heres a final pic from NYC, posing outside Madison Square Garden on the steps of the largest Post Office I've ever seen.

Gotta go now, much exploring to be done.

Freds friendly advice for the people of New York

So I've been in New York nearly a week now and feel like I'm almost a local here. Before I leave this place though I feel it is my duty to pass on a few thoughts to you lovely people that I think will help this place run just that little bit smoother.

1. Manhatten is busy, it cant be helped, there are alot of people trying to move around on an island thats not much bigger than Portland. The traffic is bad. Be patient guys, you'll get there in the end. LEANING ON YOUR HORN WILL NOT MAKE THAT RED LIGHT GREEN, Chill out.
2. Everyone in Manhatten needs a job, bills to pay, I understand that. Some people earn fortunes sat at their desk 100 floors above the madness. Others are less fortunate and have to try and earn money from the millions of tourists that come here. Here's some Fred advice if your a 4ft tall Asian lady in Times Square. DONT DRESS UP AS CHEWBACCA AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO GIVE YOU MONEY FOR PHOTOS, you look ridiculous, save up and get a Minion suit. Far more profitable.
3. Garbage collectors and delivery guys of Manhatten. Thats a very demanding job you have in a hostile enviroment, I understand that. But please, if you must empty the bins at 4am PLEASE DO IT QUIETLY.
4. Bus Tour operators of Manhatten. Your buses are a great way of seeing the city, I have enjoyed your tours myself this week but please think of a way of identifying who already has tickets, after the first 25 times explaining to your ticket agents that I already have a ticket my patience was wearing thin.

Having said these things New York is a fantastic place with fantastic people and I have had a freakin' awesome time, but today I must leave and move on to Chicago. City of Pizzas, Coffee and .... Wind.
Route 66 begins in Chicago and to be honest I cant wait.